Smiling on the Inside
by Reganfan
Summary: Another Ditty-like story. The idea got stuck in my head thanks to DH's GameInformer and I had to. Is Snape really smiling on the inside?
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter was thrilled to finally be getting away from his family. He had spent yet another horrible summer with his horse-faced aunt, large uncle, and overweight cousin. Aunt Petunia ignored him, when she wasn't ordering him to do this chore or that. Uncle Vernon barely suppressed his rage at having the teen still living with them. And good 'ole Dudley and his gang still couldn't catch Harry to pound on him like they used to.

It was September 1st and he was going back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his seventh and final year. The Dark Lord Voldemort had finally been defeated, with actually little help from Harry, The-Boy-Who-Lived who was supposedly the savior of the Wizarding World. Harry would finally have a normal year away at school with his friends Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and a few others.

Harry double and triple checked his trunk of belongings and his owl, Hedwig's cage. The magazine on video games he had snuck from Dudley's room was still hiding at the bottom of his trunk. His dorm mates, all but one having lived in the wizarding world their entire lives, knew nothing of Muggle things, but were intrigued by Harry and Seamus's descriptions of video games. Harry had finally managed to get a hold of one of Dudley's many magazines to show his friends a few of the more popular games.

The Welcoming Feast was everything it was supposed to be and more. Everyone was still celebrating the defeat of the Dark Lord. The students were all exhausted after a long train ride and all the good food that they all fell into their dorms and fell fast asleep.

The next morning at breakfast, time tables were discussed with the Heads of the Houses and passed out to the students. After the morning meal, everyone headed to their first classes of the school year.

The first weeks and even months were the same old routine of get acclimated to the classes and doing homework again. The seventh years got more than their fair share of homework because of the N.E.W.T.S. testing coming at the end of the school year. All of the classes and work and studying in the library knocked all thoughts of showing video games to his friends out of Harry's mind.

By Christmas Holidays, Harry and his classmates were more than ready for a break. They all looked forward to catching up on much needed sleep. Ron and Harry went to the Weasley house for Christmas, with Hermione and her parents joining them for Christmas dinner.

Back at school, classes, days, weeks, Quidditch games, and months passed. It was a month before the seventh years would be faced with their N.E.W.T.S. Harry and Ron, with their dorm mates Dean, Seamus, and Neville decided they needed to de-stress. With the help of Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, they brought in kegs of butter beer and proceeded to get trashed one Friday night.

Not quite as 'squiffy' as his friends, Harry was digging through his trunk for no reason he could actually think of, smiling when he came across his magazine of video games. He showed it off to his wizard friends, Seamus pointing out the games that were actually worth playing. Harry didn't know, he had never played because Dudley wouldn't let him near his gaming system.

Ron chuckled drunkenly, pointing to a blurb next to a particular picture.

"_People who scowl constantly are just smiling on the inside. Either that, or smoldering with unceasing fury. Give 'em a hug and find out which it is,"_ Harry read aloud and snorted.

"Which do you suppose Snape is then?" Dean scoffed.

"Only one way to find out," Harry laughed.

"Yeah, Har, you should give it a try," Ron slurred.

"Are you kidding? I don't have a death wish. You do it," Harry shot back.

"I dared you first. Or are you too chicken shit?" One ginger eyebrow shot up in challenge.

"I am not a chicken shit, Ron. I faced Voldie how many times? You can't throw that at me," Harry scowled while Dean and Seamus laughed.

"Weasley's right. Our savior is nothing but a chicken shit," Seamus managed to get out between chuckles.

"I don't see you running up to give the giant bat a hug, Finnegan," Harry tried to scowl through his drunken haze.

"Well, you guys can count me out," Neville shook his head adamantly. "There's a good reason I dropped potions after 5th year."

"I say Harry should. He's the epitome of 'The Brave Griffyndor'. Hell, it's not like Snape could hate him anymore than he already does anyway," Dean mentioned.

"I double dare you. I triple dare you," Ron challenged again. "Unless you're too chicken shit."

"Dammit, Ron, I am not chicken shit!" Harry yelled. "Fine, I'll do it."

That next Monday the seventh year students from the four houses had double potions. Harry planned to execute 'Mission Impossible', as he dubbed it, then. He knew it would be better to have an audience so there would be witnesses to his horrible and painful death; or if the flip side happened, this way he would have people that believed him because they had seen it with their own eyes.

Harry waited for everyone to be at their desks and Snape to billow his way to the front of the dungeon classroom before wiping his hands on his robes and making his move.

His heart pounded in his chest as he passed row after row of cauldrons on desks. He swallowed hard as his eyes met that of the surly potion professor's. Snape thought Harry must have lost his ever loving mind getting up and walking to the front of the class without permission.

Closing his green eyes with a wince etched into his features, he quickly threw his arms around his most hated professor. After a couple seconds of nothing happening, Harry thought for sure he was in the free and clear, he let out a sigh of relief.

Ron's eyes bugged out of his head. Harry had gone mental, he was actually doing it. He had just been teasing his friend; he didn't really expect Harry to attempt to hug the Greasy Git. Ron's hands flew to his face, peeking between his fingers at Snape as Harry 'Dumbass' Potter pulled the man into a hug. He groaned internally when he saw the look on the Professor's face. His best friend was as good as dead. He couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn he saw steam rolling out of Snape's ears.

Suddenly there was a horrendous BANG and Harry fell to the floor. Stunned, Ron stood at looked at his prone friend. Harry was passed out on the stone floor, his arms on either side of the room, no longer attached.

There were several screams as Ron, Dean, and Seamus ran to the front of the room. The three grabbed Harry, by the ankles, and his arms and quickly pulled him out of the room before levitating him and running him to the hospital wing and Madame Pomfrey.


	2. Alternate Ending

_That next Monday the seventh year students from the four houses had double potions. Harry planned to execute 'Mission Impossible', as he dubbed it, then. He knew it would be better to have an audience so there would be witnesses to his horrible and painful death; or if the flip side happened, this way he would have people that believed him because they had seen it with their own eyes._

_Harry waited for everyone to be at their desks and Snape to billow his way to the front of the dungeon classroom before wiping his hands on his robes and making his move._

_His heart pounded in his chest as he passed row after row of cauldrons on desks. He swallowed hard as his eyes met that of the surly potion professor's. Snape thought Harry must have lost his ever loving mind getting up and walking to the front of the class without permission._

_Closing his green eyes with a wince etched into his features, he quickly threw his arms around his most hated professor. After a couple seconds of nothing happening, Harry thought for sure he was in the free and clear, he let out a sigh of relief._

_Ron's eyes bugged out of his head. Harry had gone mental, he was actually doing it. He had just been teasing his friend; he didn't really expect Harry to attempt to hug the Greasy Git. Ron's hands flew to his face, peeking between his fingers at Snape as Harry 'Dumbass' Potter pulled the man into a hug._

Students for years to come would hear this story and would say, "I would pay lots of galleons to see that!"

Simultaneously, all the jaws of the students' dropped while their eyes grew to the size of saucers. There was no way they could all be imagining what exactly was happening.

Harry had his arms wrapped around Severus Snape's middle, his head resting on the man's chest. It took a moment for what was happening to register in the Potion Master's mind. Everyone could for once clearly see the man's emotions on his face. Shock registered first, followed quickly by confusion. Slowly the Professor's features softened, as it seemed something inside him melted. Hesitantly, his black clad arms folded around Harry, and he rested his chin atop Harry's head.

Half of the class passed out from shock when a small smile appeared on the grouchy man's face.

Draco quickly ran up to his Godfather as Harry released him and returned to his seat. Grabbing hold of Snape's arm, Draco pulled him forcefully out of the room and up to the hospital wing to see Madame Pomfrey.


End file.
